Gaussian Splatting
Course Description
Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) is a radiance field technique that represents a scene as a cloud of anisotropic 3D Gaussians, optimized from overlapping imagery. Unlike traditional photogrammetry, which prioritizes topologically clean geometry, Gaussian Splatting focuses on fast training and high-fidelity view synthesis — making it powerful for rapid scene context, camera-path validation, and visual walkthroughs in visual investigation.
This course takes you from first principles to a complete investigation workflow: understanding the theory, planning a capture, processing it into a splat, integrating it into Blender, and documenting your work defensibly.
What this course is about
Two choices shape this course:
- Non-optimal footage. Most tutorials assume perfect footage. Visual investigation does not have that luxury. Footage arrives as it arrives — shaky, blurry, partial, compressed. This course teaches you to make a usable reconstruction from what you actually have.
- Free and open-source tools next to Blender. Every pipeline step uses free, open-source tools. Paid alternatives exist; this course does not cover them.
Prerequisites
Before starting this course, you should be comfortable with:
- Basic Blender navigation (viewport, object mode, camera controls) — see Blender Basics docs (link placeholder)
- Fundamental 3D concepts (coordinate systems, perspective, camera properties) — see Thinking in 3D
- Basic familiarity with photogrammetry concepts — see Photogrammetry technique page
Modules
| Module | Title | Est. Time | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What is Gaussian Splatting? | 30 min | Foundations |
| 02 | How Splatting Works | 45 min | Foundations |
| 03 | The Pipeline: Capture to Splat | 60 min | Pipeline |
| 04 | Blender Integration | 60 min | Application |
| 05 | Tools & Add-ons | 45 min | Tools |
| 06 | Investigation Context | 30 min | Methodology |
Total estimated time: ~4.5 hours
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain what Gaussian Splatting is and how it differs from mesh-based photogrammetry
- Plan a capture suitable for 3DGS reconstruction
- Execute a full pipeline from video/photos to a trained splat model
- Choose the right tools and addons for your specific workflow
- Integrate splats into Blender for analysis, measurement, and presentation
- Document your workflow in a defensible, methodology-aligned way
- Evaluate when to use Gaussian Splatting vs alternative techniques
How to Use This Course
Each module contains:
- Module Syllabus — what the module covers and what you will be able to do
- Content pages — the material itself
- Knowledge Check — a short interactive test before you move on
- Resources — links to KB pages, papers, and external references
Modules build on each other, so work through them in order. The trailing two pages — Tools & Add-ons, then Investigation Context — close the course.
KB Reference Pages Used
Throughout this course, you'll be directed to existing knowledge base pages for detailed reference: